176-10036-10099 | 2025 RELEASE UNDER THE PRESIDENT JOHN F. KENNEDY ASSASSINATION RECORDS ACT OF 1992

JFK ASSASSINATION SYSTEM
IDENTIFICATION FORM
AGENCY : NARA
RECORD NUMBER : 176-10036-10099
RECORD SERIES : National Security Files
AGENCY FILE NUMBER : . .
ORIGINATOR : CIA
FROM :
TO:
TITLE : Central Intelligence Agency Information Report
DATE : 5/18/1963 .
PAGES : 5
SUBJECTS :
DOCUMENT TYPE :
CLASSIFICATION :
RESTRICTIONS :
CURRENT STATUS :
DATE OF LAST REVIEW : 9/10/2000
OPENING CRITERIA :
COMMENTS : National Security Files, Box 197: Vietnam, 4/63-5/63. Box 2

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_ ——————— NOK 2
BINFORMATION REPORT]

CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY BN
sonage Laws, Title 18, U.S.C Secs.

This “material costains intormation affecting the Nations! Delense “of the United’ States within the meaning of the
" 793 and 794, tho transmission or revelation of which in any manner to an unauthornied Gerson it prohibited by law

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COUNTRY VIETNAM , REPORTNO. TDCS-3/547, 646

SUBJECT, APPREHENSIONS OF VIETNAMESE CONSUL GENERAL pare pistr. 18 may 1963 7
IN SINGAPORE REGARDING RECENT EVENTS IN-
VIETNAM "PRECEDENCE: ROUTINE

DATEOF = 17 MAY 1963 REFERENCES IN oh8

INFO. Nd

PLACE @-. SINGAPORE (17 may 1963)

DATE ACO.

APPRAISAL SEE BELOW FIELD REPORTNO. . FSS 12881
SouRCE AN AMERICAN. OBSERVER (ps) FROM VIETNAMESE CONSUL GENERAL TRAN KIM PHUONG....

APPR? “CONSUL GENERAL PHUONG HAS 6E EN AN ARDENT AND DEVOTED .SUPPORTER oF THE
PRES | DENTAND OF “RGO’ DINH. ‘NAUSS“CAN* GAD. PARTY SHE TTS*=A CAFHOLTC “AND A FRIEND AND..SUPPORTER
OF DR. TUYEN. THIS REPORT IS BELIEVED TO REFLECT ACCURATELY HtS VIEWS WHICH ARE FELT TO

BE REASONABLY OBJECTIVE AS WELL AS SINCERE. |
1. SUMMARY . VIETNAMESE CONSUL GENERAL TRAN KIM PHUONG CONSIDERS

THAT THE COMBINATION OF THREE UNWISE POLITICAL ACTS: tN THE PAST MONTH
MAY ULTIMATELY PROVE FATAL TO THE REGIME OF PRES IDENT

NGU ‘DINH DIEM DESPITE” 17S GAINS IN THE MILITARY “STRUGGLE AGAINST
THE VIET COMMUNI STS (vc). THESE THREE ACTS “WERE! DISMISSAL OF

HUYNH VAN LANG OF THE OFFICE OF EXCHANGES FROM HIS POSITION" “OF”

POWER IN THE SOUTHERN FACTION OF THE CAN LAO (REVOLUTIONARY. WORKER'S)
PARTY; THE DENIGRAT JON AND REMOVAL FROM POWER “AND. AUTHORITY OF

DR. TRAN k KIM TUYEN, DIRECTOR OF SEPES: ; AND MOST iMPORTANTLY, THE

HUE INCIDENT ON BUDDHA'S BIRTHDAY 8 MAY IN WHICH BUDDH! ST PARADERS

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WERE KILLED BY THE Civil GUARD. EACH OF THESE SEPARATE ACTS HAS

“SERVED TO WEAKEN THE MOTIVATION OF DIFFERENT | SEGMENTS - OF VIETNAMESE

AND TO FURTHER NARROW , POSSIBLY TO A FATAL DEGREE, THE BASE OF

SUPPORT FOR THE REGIME.

2. ©CONSUL GENERAL _PHUONG FEARED THAT TUYEN'S DISMISSAL IN
PARTICULAR WOULD CAUSE CONSIDERABLE INSECURITY AMONG LOYAL SUPPORTERS
AND PUBL IC SERVANTS OF ‘THE REGIME WHO KNOW DR. TUYEN'S RECORD OF
LOYAL SERVICE TO THE | PRESIDENT AND ESPECIALLY To HIS BROTHER: PRESI-
DENTIAL COUNSELOR NGO DINH NHU. THESE OFFICIALS CAN CERTAINLY
QUEST ION WHETHER ANYONE'S POSITION IN THE’ REGIME IS SAFE IF TUYEN
COULD FALL FROM FAVOR. PHUONG STATED THAT SEVERAL FRIENDS OF HIS
WITH LONG - "RECORDS OF SERVICE TO THE: GOVERNMENT OF VIETNAM (GVN)

AND TO THE “PRESIDENTIAL FAMILY. HAVE ALREADY WRITTEN TO HIM DESPONDENT-
Ly ALONG THESE LINES. TUYEN HAD A BAD REPUTATION WITH MANY

OFFICERS IN THE VIETNAMESE ARMY AND BUREAUCRACY AS THE HATCHETMAN

AND TROUBLESHOOTER FOR NGO DINH NHU BUT NO ONE ‘DOUBTED HIS

- DEVOTION TO NHU. YET NHU HAS STRIPPED HIM OF ALL REAL AUTHORITY

“SUPPOSEDLY BECAUSE OF A SILLY WOMEN'S TIFF: ..BETWEEN

MADAME NAU AND MADAME TUYEN. ANY OBJECTIVE GVN OFFICIAL MIGHT

_ QUESTION THE FRIVOLITY, INGRAT I TUDE AND. LACK OF PERSPECTIVE OF A REGIME

THAT ACTS THUS.
3. FURTHERMORE TUYEN WAS ONE OF: THE FEW REMAINING GVN OFFICIALS
_!N. HIGH POSITION RESPECTED BY. OPPOSITION LEADERS AND. 2 VIETNAMESE.

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INTELLECTUALS PARTICULARLY THOSE FROM NORTH VIETNAM. THOSE WHO |

DID NoT LIKE HIM AT LEAST TRUSTED. HIS: FAIRNESS AND BASIC EMPATHY
WHEREAS THEY NEITHER’ TRUSTED NOR LIKED NHU EVEN THOUGH NHU HIMSELF

WAS AN INTELLECTUAL.
4, WITHIN THE - CAN ‘LAO PARTY, WHICH tS STILL ONE OF THE SECRET

" MAINSPRINGS OF SUPPORT IN VIETNAM FOR THE PRESIDENT AND THE NGO
FAMILY, THE PARALLEL REMOVAL FROM AUTHORITY OF .HUYNH VAN LANG HAS
OCCASIONED SIMILAR DOUBTS AMONG THE PARTY'S RANK ~AND-FILE. ‘AS IN
TUYEN'S CASE, CAN LAO MEMBERS CAN QUESTION WHAT VALUE 1S LOYALTY .
AND SERVICE IF A MAN LIKE ‘LANG CAN LOSE HIS. POST.

5, THE EVEN MORE SERIOUS: MISTAKE WHICH MAY NARROW THE BASE OF
SUPPORT: FOR THE GVN TO A FATAL DEGREE WAS THE SHOOTING OF BUDDHIST
PARADERS AT-HUE ON ‘THE OCCASION OF” BUDDHA'S BIRTHDAY. |THE HUE
REGIME OF CENTRAL VIETNAM COUNSELOR NGO DINH CAN HAS ALWAYS OPERATED
LIKE AN-AUTONOMOUS POLICE STATE ‘AND HAS BEEN NOTGRIOUS FOR ITS:
FAVORITISM TOWARD CATHOLICS;- BELYING PRESIDENT -DIEM'S
EARLIER REPUTATION FOR. RELIGIOUS TOLERANCE, MANY VIETNAMESE
CATHOLICS FEAR THAT THE GVN'S INCREAS ING PRO-CATHOLIC BENT WILL BE
HARMFUL TO.THE CHURCH.AS WELL AS TO. THE REGIME. CERTAINLY THE
STUP|D SUPPRESSION OF BUDDHIST RELIGIOUS FLAGS AT HUE ON 8 MAY (ON

PRETEXT THAT THEY MIGHT BE CONS TRUED AS CONNECTED TO VC COMMEMORAT | ON

OF - THE: DIEN BIEN PHU VICTORY) : .
” AND’ CONSEQUENT. FATALITIES WILL. AROUSE THE ANTAGON| SM OF PREDOMINANTLY’: a)

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BUDDHIST VIETNAM AGAINST BOTH THE REGIME AND THE CATHOLICS.
6. FROM REPORTS REACHING HIM PHUONG FOUND \T PARTICULARLY
SIGNIFICANT THAT WHEN CENTRAL VIETNAM AUTHORITIES. ORDERED POLICE

TO EXECUTE THE DIRECTIVE BANNING FLAGS, INITIALY THE POLICE “MERELY
RESTATED THE ORDER BUT WOULD NOT RIP DOWN ANY BUDDHIST FLAGS. |
FINALLY SEVERAL CATHOLIC POLICE DID SO, BUT SOME BUDDHIST POLICE-
MEN REFUSED, SAYING THAT BUDDHIST FLAGS SHOULD BE PERMITTED JUST
AS CATHOL IC FLAGS ARE FLOWN ON SAINTS DAYS. SUCH DEFIANCE OF “ORDERS !
AT HUE 1S QUITE RARE, PHUONG SAID.
7. THE CROWNING INSULT TO BUDDHISTS WHICH WILL FURTHER ENFLAME THEM
AND ALSO REVIVE THE OUTCRY AGAINST NGO FAMILY RULE WAS
THE NEWS OF HUE ARCHBISHOP NGO DINH THUC'S PLAN THAT THE PRESIDENT
ASK BUDDHIST ASSOCIATIONS ELSEWHERE IN VIETNAM TO CONDEMN THE
CIVIL DISOBEDIENCE: AND DISORDER OF THE HUE BUDDHISTS. ARCHB1SHOP
THUC REPORTEDLY WENT TO-SAIGON TO DEMAND. THIS. THE VC COULD’ NOT
HAVE A BETTER PROPAGANDA WEAPON IF THEY HAD LAUNCHED THE 1N-
CIDENT AND DIRECTED THUC'S REACTION. THEMSELVES.
8. BY SUCH ACTS THE REGIME IS DESTROYING CONFIDENCE AND LOYAL
MOTIVATION OF PUBLIC SERVANTS, INTELLECTUALS, PARTY SUPPORTERS, AND
THE MASS OF NON-CATHOLIC PEASANTRY IN ITS MOST CRUCIAL TIME.
IF THIS CONTINUES ONLY SYCOPHANTS AND XENOPHOBES WILL

PREDOMINATE IN THE GVN AND ITS RELATIONS WITH ITS PEOPLE, BUREAU-

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CRACY, ARMY AND FRIENDLY ALLIES WILL DETERIORATE IN A’WELTER OF

PETTY JEALOUSIES, FEUDS, AND PREJUDICES.
9. FIELD DISSEM: STATE (CONGEN. ONLY) CINCPAC PACAF. PACFLT

ARPAC.

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